firstly i feel that this is an incredible oppurtunity to do something really amazing - there is space, support and enthusiasm for creative stuff happening, without the shit that other galleries have such as funding/ finacial pressure. it also is in some respects free of having to maintain a reputataion to get people through the doors;people only go to the embassy to see "art", but people come to forest for many reasons; the audience of total kunst is and maybe always will be totally different to that from the gallery of modern art, where people go to safely have a look at some "whacky" "art".

i see this as a oppurtunity to create something different from a standard white box room gallery which plague cities across the uk with strenuously boring and fanatically tedious things.

i don't think that we can ever aim to achieve the smartness and tidyness that other galleries in edinburgh do (fruit market, dean etc). instead of failing to do that we could (do so very cleverly and intelligently) create something else/ a different way of people exhibiting/ of viewing "art"/"life"

this is just the first things which came to mind after the meeting of the 15th.

Hi, well i've been thinking and this is what i've come up with. Our mission statement is 'To afford the visual arts, decorous, Offbeat Passage'.

it sounds a little enigmatic but i am of the opinion that our mission is really changeable. In order to compliment the superfluidity of the working group and the varied artists exhibiting we have to be responsive. Therefore, i feel our mission is somewhat of an enigma, and rightly so!

We are part of the Forest system of working groups designed to attract people who would not neccessarilly get involved otherwise. Its also designed to be open. While we may do all the weird and wacky things you're talking about I think the mission statement should really just be a set of values to operate under, not expressing our personal artistic vision for the space.
boring, i know.

bill i'm really interested in what you're saying. what would people think of a meeting just dedicated to talking about accessability/ not being like other spaces, without having to discuss sanding floors.

i agree that what you said is boring. you do know as you say. it is absolutely imperitive that we do not make a boring art statement. this will not help the arts or attracting people. better to wow people with mindblowing exciting manifesto. nothing to do with my personal artistic work or beliefs.

greig i didn't really understand your idea for the manifesto? can you clarify.